The D'Nalsi Empire is an imperial government originating from the D'Nalsi Islands, and holding claim to territory on three continents. Founded in the year 1E 67 following the First Era War, the D'Nalsi Empire has existed in some form for nearly all of history. In recent years, a number of secession crises have thrown the stability and legitimacy of the Empire into question, and the recent death of Empress Elianora at her coronation ceremony has been seen as the final nail in the coffin of the once great imperial power.
History
First D'Nalsi Empire
During the waning months of the First Era War, Ogoth Far-Treader came to realize that the disparate factions and allied towns that comprised the D'Nalsi Defensive Militia required a more concrete form of leadership once the war came to an end. Alongside his top generals, Ogoth established the D'Nalsi Provisional Government as a temporary solution, one that could easily be phased out by a more legitimate government but still sturdy enough to function should no suitable replacement be established. When the war finally came to an end, many in Ogoth's inner circle believed that Ogoth himself was best fit to lead the fledgeling government, and persuaded him into taking the position. He would be declared Emperor, however the Provisional Government would remain, to act as a buffer should a future Emperor attempt to seize total power.
His time as Emperor was short, and within three years of his coronation, Ogoth Far-Treader would pass from this world. His son, Ogoth the Second, was to be coronated soon after, but decided it would be better to wait, allowing the people of the Empire time to grieve one of the era's finest. When Ogoth the Second officially was crowned Emperor, he set to work healing the damages caused by the First Era War. He sent representatives to the remnants of the Glimmerhall Pact, offering peace and cooperation, an offer that many would accept. When the high elves of the Pact refused his offers and threatened war, Ogoth the Second simply withdrew his envoys and left them alone, believing they were a threat that would burn itself out if left alone. Fortunately for him, he was correct, and in time they too would be welcomed into the Empire.
Domestically, Ogoth the Second worked to expand and improve the scattered towns into a cohesive Empire. The Imperial Roads Commission, the first of his domestic policies to be approved by the Provisional Government, connected all settlements under the Empire's banner, and the Imperial Exploratory Commission worked on charting the Empire's territory, both in terms of the many islands surrounding the Empire's capital and the vast networks of caves that resided beneath it. Ogoth the Second recognized that these goals were lofty, and rather than trying to achieve them in his lifetime, simply began the work, in the hopes that future generations would get to reap the benefits.
His noble intentions would come to pay off, though perhaps not in the way he had anticipated. When the eladrin returned to Yrnath in the Second Era and the world was plunged into the Age of Domination, those that survived were able to do so by hiding in the caves beneath the D'Nalsi islands, which had been mapped out over the centuries prior. Unfortunately, much of the other progress the Empire had made was lost, as the eladrin were determined to wipe all records of life before their return. While they were not completely successful, the damage they were able to do has cost the world a considerable amount of its history.
Second D'Nalsi Empire
The Second D'Nalsi Empire was initially founded in the year 3E 17, as the world tried its best to recover from the Age of Domination. Many expected that its first leader, Empress Angoth Far-Treader, would continue the legacy set by her ancestry and lead the Empire into another glorious age. Try as she might to live up to these expectations, the chaos of the Age of Reformation would inevitably become the core of her legacy. When she died in 3E 31, she left behind a son, though for reasons that remain unclear to this day, he would not succeed her, and the Empire would fall quickly into the first of many succession crises.
Author's Note
There are a variety of speculative reports suggesting why Angoth's son might have been removed from consideration, from his mixed lineages and bastard conception to the plethora of corruption that plagued the Empire's foundation. Whichever the cause, most official records opt to fully exclude reference to her son and his father. All things considered, it's probably for the best.
In the end, the throne would fall to Maximus Aurelius Bainbridge, a high elf who was largely spared the brunt of the chaos thanks to the eladrin's preferential treatment of elves during the Age of Domination. It is unclear exactly how he had earned the throne, however his efforts to stabilize the Empire are definitely proof of his capabilities as a leader. The D'Nalsi Empire recovered much quicker than many of the other nations of the time, and within several decades the Empire was in a position to assist those still struggling to recover. In time, the Empire became a beacon of hope, and Maximus was no stranger to the possibilities this created.
As the Empire extended their influence, however, Maximus believed that others would likely feel challenged by their expansion. Near the end of his life, he continuously grew more paranoid, a mentality that was soon reflected in his decisions. As the Second D'Nalsi Empire had foregone an established second authority like the Provisional Government, Maximus was able to enact his erratic policy proposals, which included vastly expanding the nation's military and deploying thousands of troops to the various territories they had previously been helping rebuild. He saw this as a necessary step to protect the Empire, despite no evidence to support his fears. The forces sent to the territories were given near-total independence, and many considered them to be more of an invading army than a defensive measure. Many of the territories that questioned the Empire's motives would find their governments replaced in a military coup. One such deployment, sent to the nation of Ichos, lost nearly a third of its men before it was forced to retreat from the country. Believing this to be proof of his greatest fears, Emperor Maximus declared war, kickstarting the first conflict of the Age of Shattered Blades.
When Emperor Maximus finally met his end at the hands of an assassin in the year 3E 1873, his daughter, Carolyna Bainbridge, was desperate to make amends with those her father had wronged. She successfully negotiated an end to the Empire's conflict with Ichos, though the resulting peace was tenuous at best. She also withdrew the Empire's forces from any nation whose government requested it, however this ignored the countries which saw their governments toppled during Maximus' reign. Despite her shortcomings, Carolyna made considerable strides towards repairing the damages caused by her father, though unfortunately the effort left her little time to find a suitable partner. When she died in the year 4E 478, she was without an heir, and the second succession crisis began.
When the Empress died without an heir, four of the most influential families in D'Nalsi each declared themselves the rightful heirs to the throne. Specifically, the houses Pouilon, Abodieu, Chamberhall, and Albinac believed that they had a genuine right to the throne, citing a number of "agreements" allegedly made with various high-ranking imperial staff. Attempts at dialogue would inevitably fall through, and soon after the
War of the Four Houses threatened to plunge the whole of the Empire back into war, less than five hundred years after the last conflict had ended.
Author's Note
While yes, the War of the Four Houses did see the four families engaging in open conflict in the streets and did in fact run the risk of becoming an all-out war, many historians are incorrect in their assertation that it was an all-out war. For many living in D'Nalsi at the time of the War of the Four Houses, and especially those living in rural areas, the conflict was largely irrelevant to daily life. This is not to downplay the tense political atmosphere of the time, rather I simply find it relevant to note the sometimes hyperbolic amounts of importance that some historians have given this period in D'Nalsi history.
Interestingly, the War of the Four Houses was not ended through blood; rather, the conflict was ended through a rather unorthodox marriage. During the conflict, Helena Pouilon found herself trapped in a love triangle, finding herself courted by both Tybalt Abodieu and Amelie Chamberhall. Rather than forcing herself to choose, she suggested that the three should all simply be together, a concept to which both Tybalt and Amelie responded favorably. The three would marry in secret, before bringing the news of their union to their families. While a few of the older members of their respective families were shocked and disgusted, most were supportive, though this may have been for largely political reasons. With the three married, the Albinac family would be powerless to stop at least one of them from claiming the throne. Realizing this themselves, House Albinac would withdraw their claim, clearing the way for the trio to take the throne.
Recognizing the importance of all of their families, the three would all be crowned together, as equals. Emperor Tybalt Abodieu, alongside Empresses Helena Pouilon and Amelie Chamberhall, would continue the work started by Empress Carolyna, starting with removing their unilateral power. The trio would create the D'Nalsi Senate, a body designed to balance the authority of the Emperor much like the Provisional Government of old. The Senate was comprised of 30 members, one for each of the settlements in the Empire whose population exceeded 50,000 permanent residents. They also appointed Richard Albinac, the presumed heir from House Albinac, as the Chancellor of the Senate, hoping to further reduce tensions from the War of the Four Houses and ensure stability within the Empire.
In the ages that followed, the Empire they had created would continue to grow and evolve. The Empire would expand to include more territory, including a number of the smaller nations that had previously resisted their influence, now entering into the Empire under much more consensual and welcoming circumstances. As it did so, however, the weaknesses in its binds began to show. Territories were being welcomed in at an unsustainable rate, eventually stretching the military thin as they desperately attempted to protect their outer territories. This only served to further exacerbate problems in the core of the Empire, as a series of ineffectual Emperors without heirs created one succession crisis after another. Between 6E 1659 and 7E 411, only five out of the twenty-seven transfers of power were between individuals of immediate blood relation, with only two being between a parent and their child.
Eventually, these binds became too thin to hold, and in 7E 419, the first bind snapped. Territory on the continent of Prozes broke free from the Empire, re-organizing into an independent nation. A few years later, in 7E 425, another section of territory followed suit. While these losses might have been acceptable, the worst came in 7E 431, when a province on the island of Eastmarsh decided to declare their independence as well.
Author's Note
At present, these are the only three former sections of the Empire to break free and become independent entities, though a number of discussions in other provinces have taken place. Most notably, the provinces that comprise the former nation of Cada on the island of Lachmeda have discussed breaking away, as has the province of Breidia, home to the Nexus, the economic and industrial heart of the Empire. It is unclear at this time if either will follow through with these conversations, however if either followed through with these discussions, it would certainly spell the end of the Second D'Nalsi Empire.
It seems only time will tell.
